Ice cube cracker



Dec. 13, 1955 N. z. GRASSO ICE CUBE CRACKER Filed July 14, 1952 INVENTORNa chozas Z.Grcz .sso

f'wwflgz ATTORNEYS United States Patent -2,726,446 ICE CUBE CRACKER 7Nicholas Z. Grasso, Hollis, N. Y.

Application July 14, 1952, Serial No. 298,821

4 Claims. c1. 30--164.8)

This invention relates to an ice cube cracker.

An object of this invention is to provide an ice cracker designedparticularly for cracking ice cubes which includes a housing having aspring-pressed plunger with a plurality of prongs adapted to beprojected from the housing when the plunger is moved so as to crack icecubes into small pieces.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ice cube cracker whichis simple in construction.

A further object of this invention is to provide an ice cube crackerwherein the prongs are normally housed in a cylindrical housing so thatthe prongs will be protected when the device is not in use.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in thearrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in thedrawing and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an ice cube cracker constructedaccording to an embodiment of this invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken onthe line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral designates generally a cylindricalhousing which is formed of a cylindrical side wall 11, a lower head 12having a plurality of openings 13, and an upper head 14. While the sidewall 11 is herein shown as being cylindrical, this side wall may besquare, octagon or any other shape. The heads 12 and 14 are secured tothe ends of the side wall 11 by means of a pair of elongated bolts 15.It will be understood that the heads 12 and 14 may be secured to theside wall 11 by either the bolts 15, or by soldering, welding, press fitor the like.

A plunger generally designated as 16 is slidable within the housing 10and is formed of a lower disc-shaped plate 17 having a plurality ofelongated prongs 18 secured thereto. The prongs 18 are disposed inalignment with the openings 13 so that downward movement of the plunger16 will provide for projection of the prongs 18 below the lower head 12.The prongs 18 are fixed in the lower plate, 17, and an upper plate 19 issecured by fastening means 20 to the upper or inner side of the plate17. The two plates 17 and 19 are formed with diametrically opposedchannels 21 through which the bolts loosely engage.

A plunger rod 22 is fixed to the center of the heads 17 and 19 andslidably engages through an opening 23 formed in the upper head 14. Aknob 24 is fixed to the outer end of the rod 22 so that the plunger 16may be forcibly moved downward against the tension of a spring 25. Thespring 25 is interposed between the lower head 12, engaging about thecenter one of the prongs 18 and engaging at its upper end against thelower head'or plate 17 of the plunger 16. The plunger 16 is limited inits upward movement by means of an inner shell 26 which is disposedwithin the side wall 11 and bears at its upper end against the upperhead 14.

An annular rib 27 is carried by the side wall 11 adjacent the upper endthereof for providing a grip to hold the side wall 11 against slippingin at least one direction When gripped in the hand.

In the use and operation of this device, the lower head 12 is disposedagainst the ice cubes which are to be broken and the housing 10 may begrasped in one hand and the knob 24 pushed downwardly or struck with onehand so as to forcibly eject the prongs 18 through the openings 13 andinto the ice cube or cubes. There may be as many of these prongs 18 asmay be desired so that the ice cubes may be broken into relatively smallpieces with one movement of the plunger 16.

The device herein disclosed can be used for ice, or any othercrystallized or brittle object. The object article will be broken by asimple stroke of the plunger, and the latter will automatically returnto the interior of the housing.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of constructionherein disclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview ofthe appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An ice cube cracker comprising an elongated cylindrical housinghaving opposed open ends, a closure member for each of said ends, meansextending between and connected with each of said closure members toclamp said housing therebetween, one of said closure members having acentrally positioned aperture extending transversely thereof and theother of said closure members having an aperture extending transverselytherethrough aligned with said first aperture and having a lesserdiameter, said other closure member having a plurality of aperturesextending transversely thereof and radially spaced from said centralaperture formed therein, a substantially circular plunger mounted forreciprocation with in said housing and having a centrally disposedthreaded aperture formed therein aligned with said first and secondcentrally positioned apertures, an elongated plunger rod having. athreaded connection with said threaded aperture and having its endsextending on opposite sides of said plunger, one of said ends extendingthrough said central aperture formed in said one closure member, and theother of said ends being reduced in diameter to form a prong alignedwith said aperture formed in said second closure member, said'plungerhaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced prongs secured theretoand depending therefrom, each of said last named prongs being alignedwith one of said radially spaced apertures formed in said other closuremember, a helicoidal spring disposed intermediate said plunger and saidother closure member, said spring surrounding said centrally positionedprong and constantly tending to urge said plunger away from said otherclosure member and to retract said prongs into said housing, means onsaid housing for limiting the movement of said plunger away from saidother closure member, and handle means secured to said one end of saidhandle member.

2. An ice cube cracker comprising an elongated cylindrical housinghaving opposed open ends, a closure member for each of said ends, meansextending between and coacting with said closure members to clamp saidhousing therebetween, one of said closure members having a centrallypositioned aperture, the other of said closure members having aplurality of spaced apertures, a plunger mounted for reciprocation insaid housing, a plunger rod having an end thereof secured to saidplunger and its other endextending through said central aperture,

. a handle mounted on said other end of said piston rod, a

3 plurality of prongs depending from said plunger and aligned with saidapertures formed in said other closure member, and resilient meansinterposed between said plunger and said other closure member constantlytending to urge the former away from the latter and to retract saidprongs into said housing.

3. An ice cube cracker as defined in claim 1, and said first meansincluding a pair of elongated bolts extending longitudinally of saidhousing, and said plunger having a pair of diametrically opposedopenings extending therethrough to loosely receive said bolts wherebysaid bolts and said apertures formed in said plunger coact to maintainsaid tines aligned with their respective apertures formed in said otherclosure member.

4. An ice cube cracker as defined in claim 2, and said first meansincluding a pair of elongated bolts extending longitudinally of saidhousing, and said plunger having a pair of diametrically opposedopenings extending therethrough to loosely receive said bolts wherebysaid bolts and said apertures formed in said plunger coact to maintainsaid tines aligned with their respective apertures formed in said otherclosure member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,103,132 Deininger July 14, 1914 1,701,771 Di Stefano Feb. 12, 19292,310,224 Edwards Feb. 9, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 325,533 France Jan. 22,1903 600,192 France Nov. 3, 1925

